Best Belgian cuisine in the DR

Bartolomeo67

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Mar 18, 2004
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Restaurant 'Casa Belga' - Av. Independencia #368 - next to Jaragua Hotel - Gazcue - Santo Domingo - tel. 809-412-7970
Last week I visited this new restaurant with excellent belgian cuisine and beers. It's located where the former Mexican restaurant 'Frida' was. They have lots of Belgian specialties prepared by a Belgian cook:
Ghent Waterzooi, Sole meuni?re, Bacalao con asparragus, Asparragus a la flamande, Tiger mussels, Flemish 'stoverij', Steaks (bearnaise, pepper, mushroom sauce), Steak tartare, 'Dame blanche' ice-cream, Chocolate mousse, etc.
I really enjoyed these belgian dishes so far away from home.
Prices for main course: from 250 RD$ to 700 RD$ plus taxes.
Belgian beers include Duvel, Leffe, Hoegaarden and a couple of others.

mislarimar, El Belga, hugoke and other belgians: Casa Belga is definitely a place to visit when you are fed up with the daily rice or plantains diet and want to go to for some real belgian cuisine.

Bartolomeo
 
Apr 26, 2002
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Great news! So many of the Belgian restaurants in Santo Domingo are just mediocre. And forget about Santiago. The Belgian restaurants there don't know their sole meuni?re from their globes oculaires du porc cuit! ;)
 

RHM

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Bartolomeo67 said:
Restaurant 'Casa Belga' - Av. Independencia #368 - next to Jaragua Hotel - Gazcue - Santo Domingo - tel. 809-412-7970
Last week I visited this new restaurant with excellent belgian cuisine and beers. It's located where the former Mexican restaurant 'Frida' was. They have lots of Belgian specialties prepared by a Belgian cook:
Ghent Waterzooi, Sole meuni?re, Bacalao con asparragus, Asparragus a la flamande, Tiger mussels, Flemish 'stoverij', Steaks (bearnaise, pepper, mushroom sauce), Steak tartare, 'Dame blanche' ice-cream, Chocolate mousse, etc.
I really enjoyed these belgian dishes so far away from home.
Prices for main course: from 250 RD$ to 700 RD$ plus taxes.
Belgian beers include Duvel, Leffe, Hoegaarden and a couple of others.

mislarimar, El Belga, hugoke and other belgians: Casa Belga is definitely a place to visit when you are fed up with the daily rice or plantains diet and want to go to for some real belgian cuisine.

Bartolomeo

Gee. This looks soooo authentic. I bet you have nothing to do with the business. ;)

A little too good, my friend. Tell the owner to shut the damn windows and doors when the AC is on, it was hot as hell in there on Sunday night. Personally, I give the place 3-6 months.

Scandalll
Santo Domingo Food Critic
 

Bartolomeo67

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Scandall said:
Gee. This looks soooo authentic. I bet you have nothing to do with the business. ;)

A little too good, my friend. Tell the owner to shut the damn windows and doors when the AC is on, it was hot as hell in there on Sunday night. Personally, I give the place 3-6 months.

Scandalll
Santo Domingo Food Critic

Hi Scandall,
no, I have absolutely nothing to do with the business. I was only holiday in SD and pleasantly surprised to read an article about this restaurant in the local newspaper so I decided to visit it. Actually I had never seen any other truly belgian restaurant in the DR before, as Porfio Rubirosa seems to know many of them.
You give the place 3-6 months, well ,the owners have been living there for almost 10 years they told me, and one of their sons runs a belgian snack bar on Gustavo Mejia Ricart, so, I think they know what they are doing.

Bartolomeo
 

RHM

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Bartolomeo67 said:
Hi Scandall,
no, I have absolutely nothing to do with the business. I was only holiday in SD and pleasantly surprised to read an article about this restaurant in the local newspaper so I decided to visit it. Actually I had never seen any other truly belgian restaurant in the DR before, as Porfio Rubirosa seems to know many of them.
You give the place 3-6 months, well ,the owners have been living there for almost 10 years they told me, and one of their sons runs a belgian snack bar on Gustavo Mejia Ricart, so, I think they know what they are doing.

Bartolomeo

I hope you're right. I honestly do. I "know" one of the owners (small talked with him over the last 3 years). He's a good guy.

Why did Frida's go out of business? It was the same location and you would think that Mexican food would do better with tourists than Belgian food. Who comes to the Caribbean to eat Belgian food? Just thinking out loud.

Best of luck to them but I still give it 3-6 months. A snack bar doesn't have much overhead, that place does and his prices are pretty low. I hope I'm wrong.

Scandall
 

Chris

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Sorry to hear that Frida's is no more... We used to go there when we had occasion to sleep over in Santo Domingo... Just the greatest pitcher of ice cold Sangria ever... We'll sure try the Belgian place as this is one of the few places that we know how to get to in Santo Domingo. One of these days we'll try to spend more than a flying visit there and figure out what is what...
 

Bartolomeo67

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Mar 18, 2004
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Do these SD restaurants really cater to tourists? I doubt it.
When I go for dinner to a nice restaurant in SD I never see many tourists, not in Vesuvio's, La Briciola, etc. Mainly dominican families, business people or expats.
Bartolomeo
 

RHM

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Bartolomeo67 said:
Do these SD restaurants really cater to tourists? I doubt it.
When I go for dinner to a nice restaurant in SD I never see many tourists, not in Vesuvio's, La Briciola, etc. Mainly dominican families, business people or expats.
Bartolomeo

Very true. I was referring to that particular location. It is right in the thick of things (Centenario, Jaragua etc.). I never saw expats/dominicans at Frida, maybe the Belgian guys can build a local following.

Chef Scandall
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Porfio_Rubirosa said:
Great news! So many of the Belgian restaurants in Santo Domingo are just mediocre. And forget about Santiago. The Belgian restaurants there don't know their sole meuni?re from their globes oculaires du porc cuit! ;)
Actually, there is at least one other, on Gustavo Mejia Ricart between Lincoln and Lope de Vega.
 
Apr 26, 2002
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Yes, I've seen it - right next to the "Riga Vieja" Latvian cafe.

Chiri, I guess you're the last person I would want to make fun of small countries with - being from a rock as you are. ;)
 

arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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Scandall is likely right

It's true the owners have been here a long time - - they are familiar faces. Quick reality check, they overhead is high and rising fast at that location. The main problems are electrical consumption, rent, and food costs because of their type of menu. Of course they rely on tourists but no business here can survive on the tourist trade because it is seasonal at best and unpredictable to non-existent at worst. Also, the prices are very fair for a Belgian restaurant in Brussels or Bruges - - but this restaurant is in Santo Domingo. Above all, I don't think they have a bright future because the owners appear much more experienced living here than running a restaurant.

Most of their target market, by the way, whether they realize it or not, live well west of Alma Mater. How likely do any of you think it will be for that crowd to drive past all their familiar haunts in Naco, Bella Vista, Esperilla, etc. on a regular basis to fight their way past ferocious carros publicos and guaguas to pay upwards of 900 pesos with tax per plate of food?

3 to 6 months is about right
 

RHM

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arturo said:
It's true the owners have been here a long time - - they are familiar faces. Quick reality check, they overhead is high and rising fast at that location. The main problems are electrical consumption, rent, and food costs because of their type of menu. Of course they rely on tourists but no business here can survive on the tourist trade because it is seasonal at best and unpredictable to non-existent at worst. Also, the prices are very fair for a Belgian restaurant in Brussels or Bruges - - but this restaurant is in Santo Domingo. Above all, I don't think they have a bright future because the owners appear much more experienced living here than running a restaurant.

Most of their target market, by the way, whether they realize it or not, live well west of Alma Mater. How likely do any of you think it will be for that crowd to drive past all their familiar haunts in Naco, Bella Vista, Esperilla, etc. on a regular basis to fight their way past ferocious carros publicos and guaguas to pay upwards of 900 pesos with tax per plate of food?

3 to 6 months is about right

Arturo makes sense. I am sure that he and I both hope we are wrong. We are making a 3-6 month prediction not to be jerks, just realistic. The overhead will likely kill them.

Scandall
 

Bartolomeo67

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All I am doing here is spreading the news that there is a new good quality restaurant in Santo Domingo offering something different on the menu. This is what this 'Best of' Forum is for and, in spite of your well-meant scepticism, this is what you should be doing as well if you want places like this to survive.
Bartolomeo
 

RHM

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Bartolomeo67 said:
All I am doing here is spreading the news that there is a new good quality restaurant in Santo Domingo offering something different on the menu. This is what this 'Best of' Forum is for and, in spite of your well-meant scepticism, this is what you should be doing as well if you want places like this to survive.
Bartolomeo

You are absolutely correct. I hope they thrive. Honestly.

The food is good and I don't think the prices are too high. My friend and I both had a glass of wine, an entree and dessert. With tip the total cost was RD$1,000 (and that included the outrageous DR tax of 26%). The restaurants in Plaza De Espa?a are two to three times that cost.

Scandall
 

rafael

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Chris said:
Sorry to hear that Frida's is no more... We used to go there when we had occasion to sleep over in Santo Domingo... Just the greatest pitcher of ice cold Sangria ever... We'll sure try the Belgian place as this is one of the few places that we know how to get to in Santo Domingo. One of these days we'll try to spend more than a flying visit there and figure out what is what...

I second that. In fact a buddy and I were walking with our dates to Frida's a while back and were shocked to see it closed. It was open 2 days prior. Their fajitas were decent, prices were good and the Mariachis were a nice touch. I saw a new Mexican place on Avenida Espana, but have not checked it out yet.

I did take a date to the terraza at the Napolitano on wed night to see Mariachis. . ..
 

hugoke01

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Dec 31, 2004
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Belgian Restaurant

Many thanks Bartolomeo for informing us about this Belgian restaurant . Unfortunately the information comes just too late as we are just back from a 5 week's stay in the Dominican Republic . Staid in Vicente Noble , went up for one day to Pedernales (Fronteer with Haiti ) went to Barahona and San Juan ....Then we went for three days to Santo Domingo (hotel Mercury -which I din't like that much) went for three days to Jarabacoa (el Gran Jimenoa) and from there we went to Sosua where we staid two weeks in our small appartment we bought two years ago in a condominium between Sosua and Cabarete ...went three times to Rocky's restaurant and for the rest took some rest and refurbished somewhat our appartment .. It was a good trip unfortunately in future we won't stay too many days any more in Vicante Nobe (the village of my wife where we built a house for her mother ). The problem is that all the family and (so-called) friends came to see us not really to meet us I believe but to ask for help (money ) and not just pesos .. Most of them were asking 2 to three thousand USD either to pay their visit or travel to Spain .. or to repair their house or pay for seeds to work the land ,or repair their car etc...So that was the bad part of our visit ..
For the rest I really as always enjoed the coast between Barahona and El Paraiso ..it's really beautiful .. Bought in Pedernales 4 normally sized langostas for 130 pesos .. We ate similar sized langostas in a restaurant on the Malecon in Barahona for 2400 Pesos ,,
My general impression is (9th. visit of a month ) that the country isn't moving into the right direction .. poorer and more expensive ... and don't believe that international free trade agreements will help .. It will help for sure the multi nationals to make more profit but this free trade is also a competition amongst the poorest (those who provides the - cheapest labor wins ) ..and I believe that the Dominican Republic might loose a lot ..
Sorry for expanding ..anyway next year I'm going I hope to this Belgian restaurant if it's still there ..
Bartolomeo67 said:
All I am doing here is spreading the news that there is a new good quality restaurant in Santo Domingo offering something different on the menu. This is what this 'Best of' Forum is for and, in spite of your well-meant scepticism, this is what you should be doing as well if you want places like this to survive.
Bartolomeo
 

reracked

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Sep 26, 2003
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These guys deserve to make it

I know Jan (one of the co-owners) for a while.
He used to have the fanciest restaurant in Juan Dolio a couple of years ago.
Best food ever in the DR. Rich Dominican families from the capital used to eat there and leave 1000 pesos propina (I'm talking about 4-5 years ago) to the waiters.
Now he is trying his luck in the capital.
The food is indeed exceptional and is a good change if you wanna try something slightly different.
I wish them all the best!